Spicy rice with chickpeas

This lightly curried rice dish makes a simple yet satisfying vegetarian meal, with the chickpeas providing valuable protein. Serve with a yogourtraita (page 27) and mango chutney. A fresh, green, baby spinach leaf salad would also make a good accompaniment to this meal.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 onion, sliced

1⁄4 cup medium curry paste

1 cup basmati rice, rinsed

2 cups water

1 orange sweet potato, peeled and chopped into small chunks

4 tomatoes, chopped

1⁄4 cup sultanas

398 ml can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1⁄4 cup chopped cilantro

1⁄3 cup unsalted cashew nuts, roughly chopped

Directions

1.Heat the oil in a large pot and fry the onion over a medium heat for about 8 minutes, stirring until pale golden. Add the curry paste and stir-fry for about 1 minute.

2.Stir in the rice, then add the water, sweet potato, tomatoes and sultanas. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the pan and leave on a low heat for 20–25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rice is just tender and the water has been absorbed. Add a little more water if the mixture becomes too dry before the rice is cooked.

3.Stir in the chickpeas and gently heat through. Stir in the cilantro, season to taste and scatter with the cashew nuts before serving.

Cook’s tips• Choose a curry paste without any shrimp paste to make this suitable for vegetarians. • The rice needs to be rinsed thoroughly, in a sieve under cold running water, before cooking. This removes excess starch so the rice will be light and fluffy when cooked.

Variation• If you like, you could add a small amount of diced firm tofu at the end of cooking, or for a non-vegetarian version, some diced, cooked chicken.